Kasha
by StarKisses
Summary: Kasha is different then most that belong to the serpiente race. But when she befriends the unlikely Zane Cobriana, she finds that her differences may end up being helpful after-all. - Takes place during the time period of Snakecharm.


I ran down the marble stairs until I reached a plain, white door. I slipped through it and took a deep breath. Running was not necessary, but I enjoyed the feel of the wind on my face. I now walked through a open garden; it was empty like always. I like to call it my secret garden, as no one was ever in it. I cupped my hands and dipped them into one of the fountains, filling them with water and then throwing it upon my face. It dripped down my neck and soaked into the light fabric of my dress. I wore dancers clothing, though I was no dancer. The blue turned dark where the water met it. I recoiled to the safe shade of a tall tree as the clouds exposed the sun, and there I took my seat. I shut my eyes and leaned back; listening to the wind ripple the leaves of the garden. I don't know how long I was sitting there before I heard someone behind me. They came around the tree and sat about a foot away from me. I opened my eyes and looked towards the newcomer and gasped. There sat Zane; myDiente.

He looked at me and smiled. "Hello there."

I stared, with my mouth open, for two whole seconds before dipping my head; my mother would have been so ashamed of me. But then again, that wasn't new. "Um," I started badly. "H-hello."

He smiled again. "What's your name?"

I must have looked confused because he smiled again. I didn't understand why he was talking to me. Didn't he have more important things to be doing? And didn't he know that I was sick? Surely he wouldn't have come near me if he did. But how couldn't he have; the whole Serpiente civilization knew. I ducked my head to answer, clearly ashamed. "Kasha."

"That's a pretty name," he replied. "Perfect for a pretty girl like you."

I stared again, shocked. No one had ever called me 'pretty,' especially not royalty. A ray of sunlight peeked threw the branches of the tree, causing the lasting blue-green scales on my hand to sparkle. The yellow and green spots on my neck danced. I shifted my weight out of the sun, hanging my head once more. "Thank you," I whispered, remembering my manners.

Zane blinked at me, then he smiled. "Why do you hide from the sun?"

I didn't answer, and we sat in silence for several moments. I watched a caterpillar climb up the stem of a tulip. It inched itself slowly to the top. I wondered what it was going to do once it got there. "Mother says that I shouldn't allow my flaws to show," I sighed.

"Flaws?" His voice sounded questioning. "I don't see any flaws."

I was confused, and I probably showed it on my face. My spots of scales that didn't go away was the most obvious, then there were my eyes - one was emerald and the other was a deep brown. I had hair like the Cobrian's, but I was far from. I curled my hands in my lap and stared up at the sun. I didn't know how to respond to my Diente, and I hoped he didn't consider my silence rude; I was unusually soft-spoken for a Serpiente and many people found this odd.

"You know," Zane started. "My Naga is an Avian." I nodded; who didn't know this? It caused a major uproar in both kingdoms when they announced their engagement. "Well, she's pregnant."

I looked at him now, shocked. Why was he telling me this? Sure I'd heard rumors by hanging out at the market, but rarely did people explain things in detail to me. "But that's good, isn't it?"

He looked away from me, and fixed his gaze on a leaf that fluttered in the wind. He reached out and snatched it into his fist. He then turned back to me. "It would be," he went on. "If we knew what was going to happen after."

"I don't understand."

"You see this leaf, correct?" He uncurled his fingers to show me the lime green, undamaged leaf. "And you see the sun and the sky, don't you?" I nodded, not sure where he was going with this. "Well, we know they are real because we can see them or touch them. We know for certain what they are, and they will never change. We can not be certain of what my daughter will become - if she will be born bird, or snake, or a hybrid of the two." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I must be going now, Kasha. Perhaps I shall visit you again soon."

And then he stood and left the garden, as fast as he had come. And I was left staring after him, wonder why he had told me all of that. My eyes shifted to the leaf on the ground, and suddenly it all made sense. I was the visual of his uncertainty.


End file.
